Passover Recipes

Macaroons

This recipe is for a bare minimum quantity for Passover gatherings of just your immediate family. Easy to scale up by any multiple you want!

1 egg white- beat until stiff.
Add 1/3 cup sugar. Whip until like whipped cream or frosting.
Fold in: 1/2 cup almond flour or ground almonds - (alternative- grind half a cup plus a tablespoon or two of almonds in your food processor to make a fine meal).
Optional: Stir in some chocolate chips! (What could be bad?)

Important: Refrigerate the dough for at least 15 or 20 minutes otherwise it will be too thin to work with. Drop by spoonful onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet (alternative: tinfoil).

Charoset Chicken

Chicken:

Slice an onion and put it in the bottom of a baking pan.
Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper and about a half a teaspoon full of cinnamon.
Bake in the oven, covered, at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile:

Peel and cut an apple into chunks.
Sprinkle the apple with about a teaspoon to a tablespoon of sugar, and some more cinnamon.
Add the apple chunks to the cinnamon, and finish baking for 30 minutes, uncovered. If it is browning too much, put the cover back on!

Options:
Some whole or coarsely chopped almonds put in with the onions are a nice touch.

Want a more adult dish? Cut the sugar by a bit then sprinkle the chicken with paprika in addition to the other ingredients. Add a small handful of raisins with the onions.
Bake at 300 for 15 minutes or until golden.

Bubbe's Pesach Sherbet

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 - 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups grated pineapple (optional)
2 - 3 baskets of strawberries
2 bananas
2 egg whites, well beaten until stiff

Boil water and sugar for 4 minutes. Cool. Add orange juice and lemon juice. Freeze until mushy. Add fruits, stir and freeze. Add well beaten egg whites, stir in and freeze. Stir 1 - 2 more times.

You may add any other fruits, you prefer. I like to take my immersion blender to the mixture to break down the fruit but still leave some nice sized pieces. This also helps blend the ingredients. Though it takes many hours between all the freezing, it is really quite simple. The end result is light and refreshing and a big hit with all ages.

- Beth Klareich

Passover Rolls

A huge hit with kids especially for school lunches!

2 cups Matzah meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup peanut oil
4 eggs

Combine matzah meal with salt and sugar. Bring oil and water to a boil. Add matzah meal mixture to liquid and mix well. Thoroughly beat in eggs, one at a time. Allow to stand 15 minutes.
With well oiled hands, shape in to rolls and place on a well greased cookie sheet. Bake in a moderate oven 375 for 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Yields 9 – 12 rolls

Pesach Sunshine Cake

Rory Goldberg shared with us this recipe that she received from Nancy Feigelson. Rory says, “It is the BEST sponge cake.”

12 eggs medium or 9 large eggs
2 cups sugar
Juice and rind of 2 lemons (or 1 real large one)
1/2 cup cake meal
1/2 cup starch (potato)

Separate eggs. Beat whites 3 minutes, adding sugar gradually for 3 minutes.
Beat egg yolks in separate bowl for 3 minutes, and slowly fold into beaten egg white mixture. Sift cake meal and starch together seven times. Add to egg mixture. Last, add lemon juice and rind.
Bake in ungreased tube at 350 degrees for one hour. When done, invert immediately for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until cool.

Aunt Sarah’s Squash Casserole (with comments)

3 lbs. Yellow squash, sliced, cooked and drained
1 cooked onion (I prefer a yellow onion, diced and sautéed)
1/2 cup Matzah meal
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt (I use less salt if the margarine is salted)
4 - 5 beaten eggs (Depending on whether they are large or extra-large)
1/2 stick margarine (I use 1/3)

Melt margarine in casserole dish or 9x13 (I like the 9x13 so that there is more crust). Mash cooked squash, add all other ingredients and mix well. Pour mixture into pans. Cook covered for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350. (I uncover for about 20 minutes at the end to brown the top)

Chicken Marbella

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice (These are nearly impossible to find for Passover. You can omit them or use more Spanish olives.)
6 bay leaves
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely puréed
1/4 cup dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 chickens (2 1/2 pounds each), quartered
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley or fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Arrange the chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them.
Bake, basting frequently with the pan juices, until the thigh pieces yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice when pricked with a fork, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley or cilantro. Pass the remaining pan juices in a sauce boat.

16 pieces, 10 or more portions

Note: To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in the cooking juices before transferring the pieces to a serving platter. If the chicken has been covered and refrigerated, reheat it in the juices, then allow it to come to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over the chicken.

This was the first main-course dish to be offered at The Silver Palate shop, and the distinctive colors and flavors of the prunes, olives, and capers have kept it a favorite for years. It's good hot or at room temperature. When prepared with small drumsticks and wings, it makes a delicious appetizer.

The overnight marination is essential to the moistness of the finished product. The chicken keeps and even improves over several days of refrigeration. It travels well and makes excellent picnic fare.

- Lauren Rosen

Passover Muffins

1/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
½ + teaspoon Vanilla extract
½ cup cake meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup potato starch
¼ teaspoon salt
Grated orange rind from 1 orange
Mixture of cinnamon and sugar

Blend sugar and oil. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add grated rind.
Add vanilla extract. Mix in dry ingredients.
Fold in fruit, chips or whatever you are adding. (Chunks of apples, bananas, berries, etc.)
Pour into muffin tins, 2/3 full.
Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon to tops.
Bake at 325 degrees approximately 20 minutes until cake tester is clean. Do not over bake.
You can easily freeze these.

Broil for 30 seconds to 1 minute to brown tops.

Passover Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup matza cake meal
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup blueberries

Cream oil, eggs and sugar, set aside.
Sift together cake meal, potato starch, and salt.
Combine all ingredients and fold in blueberries.
Place in large cupcake pans lined with cupcake papers.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes. (Sometimes less time, check)

Make 12 cupcakes.

Beet and Cucumber Salad

6 medium beets (golden or red or a combination, all about the same size)
1 English cucumber
1/2 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking tray with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place beets, in 1 layer, on tray; draw up foil and crimp on top to seal. Cook beets for 60 to 90 minutes, until a fork pierces them easily. When they are cool enough to handle, use a paper towel to remove the skin. Quarter the beets, then cut the quarters into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place in a large bowl with beets and add onion slices.
To make dressing, combine the vinegar, honey, oil and salt; pour over the vegetables. Toss to mix well. Yields 8 to 12 servings.

Lemony Potatoes

You can make this a day ahead of time and reheat for the seder.

2 lemons
8 Yukon Gold potatoes (2 1/2 to 3 pounds)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove zest from lemons using a vegetable peeler. (Try not to get the white pith.) Stack the ribbons of zest and use a sharp knife to slice finely. Cut the lemons in half and juice them; you should have about 1/3 cup. (If you don't, add the juice of an additional lemon.)
Cut the potatoes into 1-inch-thick wedges and place in a baking dish large enough to accommodate them in 1 layer. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper and toss to combine. Cover dish with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover dish, add chicken broth and continue to cook until broth has evaporated and potatoes are tender and starting to brown, about 40 minutes.

Yields 8 to 12 servings.

Brownies

These brownies are a Passover favorite. They bake perfectly in a disposable aluminum 8-by-8-inch pan.

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup matzo cake meal
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-by-8-inch pan.
Combine eggs, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a large bowl. Add oil and mix well. Stir in matzo cake meal, then stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Pour into pan and cook until a cake tester comes out almost clean, 20 to 25 minutes.